Bristol Races

Last week I drove from Suwanee to Bristol, TN where I met Dennis, Derek and Dana for our summer gathering at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the NASCAR races. Most people agree that this is NASCAR racing at its finest and a ticket to the Saturday night "Cup" race is the most difficult to obtain. Fortunately for us, I obtained the rights to four season tickets from my late cousin, Leora Newton, a number of years ago.

Getting to the track is easier now for me since I convinced Dennis and the boys to keep the trailer in Michigan because they have a better hauling vehicle. Unfortunately, this means a bit more hassle during their 12-hour road trip. The boys also made two quick side trips this year. They visited with their step-grandmother, Sunshine, in Oak Ridge and dropped off Christy in Knoxville where she visited her grandfather for the weekend.

The weather barely cooperated this year as the BMS organizers managed to dodge intermittent rain and put on all four night races as scheduled. Wednesday night we watched two races, the Whelan Modifieds and Truck Series. Friday night was the Food City 250 Nationwide and Saturday's Sharpie 500 Cup race provided e grand finale. Here is a view of the track from our seats.

Thursday was our free day and the boys and I, along with some of their friends, went to the nearby Blue Hole for a quick dip in the icy water. The Blue Hole is a favorite spot for locals and we usually make at least one trip here each year.

We all have our favorite Cup car drivers. Derek is a Jeff Gordon fan, Dana roots for Dale Earnhart, Jr., and Dennis follows Kevin Harvick. I cheer for Kasey Kahne. The race was won by Kyle Busch (ugh) but Dana earned the most recent bragging rights as Junior finished 9th. Jeff was 23rd and Kevin a distant 38th after wrecking. Even though Kasey was a disappointing 28th, I was really the big winner because I was able to spend four grand days with my boys.